January 5, 2017 / askpang / Comments Off on “This interest should be so absorbing that when he is thus engaged, business is banished from mind”

Walter Dill Scott, in his 1914 book Increasing Human Efficiency in Business (available on the Internet Archive), advises workers on the need for hobbies:

Upon entering business every young man should select some form of endeavor or activity apart from business to which he shall devote a part of his attention. This interest should be so absorbing that when he is thus engaged, business is banished from mind. This interest may be a home and a family ; it may be some form of athletics ; it may be club life ; it may be art, literature, philanthropy, or religion. It must be something which appeals to the individual and is adapted to his capabilities. Some men find it advisable to have more than a single interest for the hours of recreation. Some form of athletics or of agriculture is often combined with an interest in art, literature, religion, or other intellectual form of recreation. Thus Gladstone is depicted as a woodchopper and as an author of Greek works. Carnegie is described as an enthusiast in golf and in philanthropy. Rockefeller is believed to be interested in golf and philanthropy, but his philanthropy takes the form of education through endowed schools. Carnegie’s philanthropy is in building libraries.

If the lives of the great business men are studied it will be found that there is a great diversity in the type of recreation chosen; but philanthropy, religion, and athletics are very prominent — perhaps the most popular of the outside interests. These interests cannot be suddenly acquired. Many a man who has reached the years of maturity has found to his sorrow that he is without interests in the world except his specialty or business. With each succeeding year he finds new interests more difficult to acquire. Hence young men should in their youth choose wisely some interests to which they may devote themselves with perfect abandon at more or less regular intervals throughout life.

The more noble and the more worthy the interest, the better will be the results when considered from any point of view. Indeed, the interests which we call the highest are properly so designated, because in the history of mankind they have proved themselves to be the most beneficial to all.

It would be interesting to know if Scott himself practiced what he preached. He had quite an interesting life: he was part of the generation of young American scientists who in the late 1800s absorbed the latest research techniques from Germany (he was a student of William Wundt at Leipzig), brought psychology to advertising and human resources (he helped create the performance evaluation!), and in 1920 became president of Northwestern University. (Perhaps when I’m next in Chicago I’ll check out his personal papers, and see what I can learn about him.)